Aurora will auction 100 unused traffic lights as new signals come online

Aurora is ready to put 100 of its now-obsolete traffic lights up for auction as the city’s signalization improvement project nears completion.

City council approved the sales at last week’s meeting, with the profits going into the city’s general fund and the 2023 budget. The auctions will take place via GovDeals and advertised on the city’s website. 

“There are some villages that will buy some of that stuff,” Council President George Horvat said. “You think it’s old, but in some cases there are cities that need equipment, and equipment is expensive. So they can get something relatively cheap and then fix it up.”

Aurora’s signalization project is meant to synchronize traffic lights with a centralized control system to better manage heavy traffic throughout the city.

The city received a Akron Metropolitan Area Traffic Study (AMATS) grant for the project, so the city will pay $675,000 of the total $2.66 million project.  

“We will also be alerted to maintenance and other issues as they arise. This should allow traffic to move more efficiently through the city,” Mayor Ann Womer Benjamin said.

According to the project overview, the signals will communicate with each other during peak commuting hours to improve traffic flow. The city will also be able to manipulate the timing of signals in case of an emergency.

Throughout the city, there are eight school zone flashers, 17 intersections with traffic signals, and one traffic flasher. So far, new traffic lights and poles have been installed, as well as actuators that trigger the lights based on traffic flow. 

The project is still in the works, experiencing supply chain delays, but the city is now in the process of finalizing signals and adjusting several intersections.